I just went to dvdempire, and now there's a 5 disc ultimate edition out. Stop it! I am not going to buy it. This is ridiculous, every time I turn around there's another freaking edition. I've got the version without the voice over, that is all I need.

I want the 5-disk edition! Yes, the one without the voiceover is good, but the one that is apprently "the definitive edition by Ridley Scott" along with 4 other editions including the ones with and without the voiceovers and a buttload of extras has my mouth watering!

You may accuse me of a sheeple consumerist playing right into the mouth of the machine, but I'm also a cinemaphile dammit, 5 disks! The only problem is I do not have enough cash for this and the prom ticket I want more, and mommy and daddy do not plan on blowing 50 bucks to cater to me. Daddy, in fact thinks I am a sheeple consumerist for playing right into the mouth of the machine.

I wish that there was a 5-disc set without the briefcase, 'cause from a review I read the case and its contents seem really cheaply made. But I still want that set 'cause the 5th disc has a workprint version of the film.

I'm waiting for the 10 disc set to come out. I've counted about 20 different releases of this film, at some point it's nothing now than a dig for more cash. I get some tired of every film having several releases, the collectors, the unrated, the directors cut, the extended cut, the original cut etc etc .. it's just tiring.

The story behind Bladerunner is an incredibly interesting one. While I was away I brought with me a book called Future Noir which basically tracked Bladerunner from pre-production to about 1995 or so. Not many movies I know are a total financial failure in it's initial theatrical run, only to be re-released in theaters to sold out crowds and becoming a classic. One day we may be saying this about Gigli. One day....

The reason behind so many different versions are mainly centered around political trouble with studios and the growing popularity of the film. One example of this is the much maligned 'Narration' which originally came out. So much critical response basically forced it out in later versions [as the film became a cult hit] By the time the director's cut came out in 1992, there were actually two versions being edited, plus a couple of old sneak preview versions that changed. The two versions being edited for release in '92 was one that Scott wanted, and one the studios were making as a back up in case he didn't finish it on time. He didn't finish it on time, but the film released was somewhat of a halfway point between the two versions.

Anyways I'll try and list them here somewhat using the book [which incidentally devotes about 20 pages listing the difference of each version]

There are essentially 6 different versions of Bladerunner out there, albiet on so many different formats it must seem like there's more.

1) There is the Workprint version. This version was shown at Denver and Dallas as a Sneak preview/audience tester. This one has apparently 70 differences in it from the Directors Cut/International Cut etc. This is also the 'rawest' version as it was shown near the end of post-production and had things like different music cues, and differently edited sequences.

The workprint was thought to be lost until it was discovered unwittingly in the vaults of I think Warner Bros studios. It was thought to be a 70mm print [I think] of Bladerunner's theatrical release and was borrowed out to a film festival who were shocked to realise they were watching the lost 'workprint' version.

2) The San Diego Sneak Preview version. Shown once only in 1982. This had essentially three extra shots which weren't in the Workprint or any other version.

3) The Domestic Cut, original US theatrical release. The movie that was initially a flop, that became a classic later in life. This one had the narration and the 'happy ending'.

4) The International Cut, theatrical version shown in Europe and Asia This is probably one of the most common [next to the Directors cut I suppose]. This is a more violent version than the US, and is apparently more responsible for BR's cult rise.

5) The Director's Cut. Not really a Director's cut [since Scott couldn't finish the project on time.] Essentially the same as the domestic cut, except no narration at all, not the violence of the domestic cut and no happy ending, unlike the two theatrical versions. This version also has the 'mysterious' unicorn dream sequence. This is of course my favourite so far.

6) The Broadcast version

This is an edited version that was used for TV broadcast and eventaully poached for some, but not all of the video/laser disc releases. This has toned down violence and no swearing.

Yes, that's quite a few versions... I'm sure the versions released on dvd after the book was written conform somewhat to all of the above. Most of the time you just get different special features on different discs. I know the original BladeRunner Directors Cut didn't have pretty much anything in the way of special features...

This final cut will probably be much closer to what Scott wanted to release initially during that Director's cut run [the one he couldn't finish in time, a story in itself which is quite interesting]. I suspect that the main change here will be the addition of "Holden's hospital scene" in which Ford/Deckard visits his fellow Bladerunner in hospital as he recovers from being shot by Leon. There are probably a few other changes I'm sure, but that will be the big 'un.

If you're interested in the story of this movie's production, Future Noir is an excellent source of information. It's also a valuable tool for people in who want to work in the industry, because it tracks every stage of the production, from pre to post production, music, special effects and how they achieved them and so on. It certainly seemed like a mammoth struggle. It was a pain, because it made me want to watch the movie real bad whilst overseas and nowhere near a proper rental place!

I'm excited about this release since it looks damn cool [It comes with a model spinner I believe. God I'm a sucker for cool packaging, even if it's cheap.]

I know this question wasn't directed at me, but I thought I would weigh in with my opinions.

From what I've gathered the Final Cut is going to be considered the definitive version of the film as time goes on. I've read interviews with Ridley Scott who said that the 90's "director's cut" wasn't quite what he had wanted it to be as he didn't have the time to properly work with it. The Final Cut is what he would've done if he had the time and the digital resources (in terms of fixing errors and stuff) to do that at that point and time. He got involved with the 90's director's cut at the 11th hour as he was working on another film at that point. Warner Bros. was going to release the work print version as his director's cut and he told them to stop and that he wanted to see what he could do in terms of putting together his definitive cut of the film.

I'm going to just stick with the 4 disc edition despite how big of a fan I am. It's going to be only 22 bucks at Best Buy whereas the brief case edition is going to be 55 bucks. You're basically paying 32 extra dollars for an extra disc and some trinkets/toys IMO. I can do without the work print version as the 4 disc set is still a tremendous achievement.

The way I used to tell people to watch Blade Runner was to watch the version with the narration first (as some people get confused as to what's happening sometimes) and then only watch the version without the narration everytime after that.

Logged

"There is no way out of here. It'll be dark soon. There is no way out of here."

I don't understand the fuss over Bladerunner. It's an okay movie, but it's too slow moving and actually quite boring story wise. I watched it because of Harrison Ford, but he's done better movies than this one. I got to the end and wondered why it has such a cult-movie rep.

Logged

Flower, gleam and glowLet your power shineMake the clock reverseBring back what once was mineHeal what has been hurtChange the fates' designSave what has been lostBring back what once was mineWhat once was mine.......

I don't understand the fuss over Bladerunner. It's an okay movie, but it's too slow moving and actually quite boring story wise. I watched it because of Harrison Ford, but he's done better movies than this one. I got to the end and wondered why it has such a cult-movie rep.

It's just a matter of personal opinion. I've been a fan of the movie since I first saw it on VHS back in the late 80's.

I don't jump on the band wagon with movies but I happen to really like Blade Runner and I think that it's deserving of all of the accolades that have been thrown it's way over the years. Hard to believe that it's been over 25 years though.............

Logged

"There is no way out of here. It'll be dark soon. There is no way out of here."

I don't understand the fuss over Bladerunner. It's an okay movie, but it's too slow moving and actually quite boring story wise. I watched it because of Harrison Ford, but he's done better movies than this one. I got to the end and wondered why it has such a cult-movie rep.

The story can be slow, but a deep look into humanity nonetheless. Unlike my dad I can really think about a film without going to sleep. Not only this but the visuals were an excellent portrayal of an overindustrialized future; maybe we won't be plagued by a new ice age or human-cattle, but it'll still be miserable as all hell . BR is one of the few big Scifi films to really convey an intelligent message while still being a clearly science fiction film visually, or at least do it this well.

I myself thought Ford was a weak point compared to the brilliant ambivalent Rutger Hauer as Batty, among other brilliantly acted characters. Deckard should've been played sadder, maybe older, his lines IMO didn't match his voice or physical figure.

Last time I saw it, it wasn't quite as good as I'd remembered, but still probably the most atmospheric movie I've ever seen. Is this a good time to bring up that Deckard is not a replicant and that dreaming about a unicorn could not, by any stretch of the imagination, signify that one is a replicant? Not only could anyone dream about a unicorn at any time, even if his dream is a flashback, he could easily have a genuine memory of a unicorn, since there's all that genetic engineering going on.